The International Ladies Garment Workers Union was using the Princess Theatre in New York City as a meeting hall. Several members talked the union heads into sponsoring an inexpensive revue with a cast made up of ILGWU workers and only two pianos in the orchestra pit. Because of their factory jobs, participants could rehearse only at night and on weekends, and initial performances were presented only on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pins and Needles looked at current events from a pro-union standpoint. Skits spoofed everything from FascistEuropeandictators to bigots in the DAR. Word-of-mouth was so enthusiastically positive that the cast abandoned their day jobs and the production expanded to a full performance schedule of eight shows per week. New songs and skits were introduced every few months to keep the show topical.

Pins and Needles is the only hit ever produced by a labor union, and the only time when a group of unknown non-professionals brought a successful musical to Broadway.

Britannia Waives the Rules (Sketch and Lyrics by: John La Touche and Arnold B. Horwitt, Music By Bernece Kazounoff - The Prime Minister, The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, The Secretary of State for War, The First Lord of the Admiralty, The German Envoy, The Japanese Envoy and Miss Beamish

Men Awake - Singers and Dance Group

Act II

Lorelei On the Rocks (Lyrics By John La Touche, Music By Bernece Kazounoff) - Die Lorelei and A Storm Trooper

Lesson In Etiquette - The Expert

What Good is Love? - Sung by Grace Quatropani

One Big Union for Two - Girls and Boys

Vassar Girl Finds a Job - Sung by Millie Weitz

Four Little Angels of Peace - Chamberlain, Mussolini, Japanese and Hitler